


The Stray

by tabemonohime



Series: Catbois! AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Alternate Universe - Hybrids, Animal Traits, Bathing/Washing, Caretaking, Cat Ears, Cat/Human Hybrids, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Past Abuse, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23878195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabemonohime/pseuds/tabemonohime
Summary: Akaashi knew living with Bokuto wasn't going to be easy. He expected messes, clutter, and other things to a certain extent.What he did not expect though, was him returning drenched, smile on his face, a small cat in his arms."Keijiiii! Look what I found!"Akaashi sighed, it was going to be a long day.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru
Series: Catbois! AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720891
Comments: 7
Kudos: 173





	1. So, what did you bring home this time, Bokuto-san?

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I'm going to try to start writing a series! Hopefully featuring our favorite bois as human couples and animal couples hehe...

Sometimes, Akaashi regretted his life decisions. 

He wondered if he was sane when he decided to move in with Koutarou, his over-energetic senpai from high school. But what else could he do? They were dating anyway.

They had a pretty good relationship, but it was times like these when Akaashi questioned his life. 

"Keijiiiii! Look what I found!" a voice echoed throughout their house, breaking Akaashi's focus on the book he was currently reading. 

"Please lower your voice, Koutarou. I can hear you very clearly, and I'm sure our neighbours can as well." he replied. What in the world did he bring home? He hoped it wasn't anything too bothersome. 

Heading towards the source of the voice, Akaashi was reciting prayers inside his head when he turned the corner and his heart dropped. 

A cat.

A. Live. Cat.

Thinking up of around 30 various scenarios of how this could've happened in his head within 5 seconds, he paused and straightforwardly asked, "What is this, Koutarou?"

"I found this little guy lying on the floor in the alley the next street over! How could I just leave him there???" Bokuto replied. 

"Scenario number 3 it is..." Akaashi murmured to himself. "At least it wasn't Scenario 5, 10, or 22..."

"Hey, hey, hey, Keiji, can we keep him? Look! He's so cute! I think he's asleep right now, but he might wake up soon!"

Akaashi sighed, but, there was nothing he could do now anyway. Knowing Bokuto, he had already started thinking of names for this new addition to the family. Delaying all the tasks he had planned to do that evening, he looked at the little cat and got ready to take care of it.

To Akaashi's surprise, the cat was very well behaved. It had woke up halfway through the bath, but it hadn't made a scene or struggle. It simply blinked it's eyes and stayed still. After thoroughly cleaning the fur, Akaashi was pleased with his handiwork. The cat's fur practically gleamed at this point. To it's credit, the fluffy orange fur had been beautiful from the start, but it had been quite dirty when Bokuto brought it back. It's eyes were the colour of toffee and blinking in a lethargic kind of way, making Akaashi chuckle. 

During this time, Akaashi had made Bokuto take responsibility for what he did. He made him run to the pet store nearest to them to buy all the necessities they needed the little guy. Even though he was slightly worried, Akaashi had written him a very clear and precise list, so he shouldn't be having too much trouble. 

It was only after Akaashi had nicely blow-dried the cat's hair when Bokuto returned. What he returned to was a nice scene: Akaashi and the cat both laying on the couch, watching TV. Akaashi was subconsciously rubbing his cheek into the cat's fluffed up fur, and slowly stroking it's back. It seemed like they were bonding already! 

Seeing Bokuto was back, Akaashi immediately got up and went to help bring the stuff in. A bag of cat food was put in the kitchen, they had to see if he liked it before buying more, a little bed was put in the corner of their bedroom, a water dispenser, and some other miscellaneous items. Bokuto's eyes lit up as he saw the little cat, all clean and with glossy fur, so he ran over and started petting it with a bit of force. 

Akaashi was slightly worried at the scene, what if the cat didn't like it and scratched him? Thankfully, the cat seemed a bit different from normal cats in that it was very energetic. It gladly embraced the fierce patting and even swished it's tail in an energetic way. 

"Keiji, I thought of a name for this little dude. How about Hinata? His fur is bright and shiny like the sun!" Bokuto excitedly exclaimed. 

Akaashi smiled at the suggestion, "I like it very much, Koutarou." 

That night, they made sure the cat was comfortable before settling into their bed. Akaashi was glad Hinata was so well behaved, but it was almost to the point where something was suspicious. Usually, cats wouldn't be so comfortable or calm in the water, especially if they woke up randomly in the middle of being submerged. Something nagged in the back of his mind, but he was too tired to think about it, so he simply fell asleep. For Bokuto, he had been too excited, playing with the cat all evening, that he just tired himself out and slept like a log. 

Little did they know there was a surprise waiting for them in the morning.

Waking up to the sound of his alarm, Akaashi grimaced as the sunlight shone on his face. What day was it? Oh, it's Sunday, should be okay if they sleep in a bit more. Remembering the cat Koutarou brought back last night, he groggily looked over to check on it. 

Laying on the little bed they had bought last night, was a naked boy with orange hair. Slightly twitching amidst that mop of hair were a pair of cat ears, and a tail was curled up into a spiral on the floor next to him. 

Gasping, Akaashi sprung up. What? What happened to the cat? Why was there a random stranger in their house? Why did his hair colour look strangely similar to...oh. The cogs in Akaashi's brain finished turning and he mentally face palmed himself. How did Bokuto, of all the cats in the world, find one that was a shifter. 

It was common knowledge that people known as 'Shifters' existed in their world. Those people could change into animals at will, and in human form, retained some of the animal's characteristics. It wasn't classified information or anything. Even so, it didn't mean that Shifters were everywhere. In the entirety of Japan's population of 126 million, the number of Shifters was around 1 million. They weren't roaming around in plain sight. 

As Akaashi was wondering what the next step to take would be, he felt Bokuto moving around next to him. 

"Mgh...Keiji? What's wrong?"

"Why don't you look over there and see for yourself, Koutarou?"

"Hmm...HUH? WHAT? IS THAT...HINATA?" Bokuto suddenly shouted, rousing the slumbering boy from his sleep. 

"Indeed it is. Sometimes I wonder if you're very lucky or very unlucky."

They watched as the boy slowly blinked the sleep out of his eyes, taking in the situation around him. 

Akaashi decided he would take the first step, "Hello, my name is Akaashi Keiji, this is Bokuto Koutarou. He seems to have picked you up yesterday in an alley nearby. Would you care to share your side of the story with us?"

"Oh!" the boy seemed nervous, tail swishing quickly from side to side, "My name is Hinata Shoyo, I'm a cat shifter...and I was...abandoned by my owner yesterday. I was wandering around when a group of stray dogs decided to attack me. S-so that's why I was in the alley. When I woke up, I thought you would be surprised if I suddenly changed, so I just didn't..."

Akaashi raised an eyebrow, "So, does this mean you have nowhere to return to?"

"I-I-I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, this is an inconvenience right. I'll leave right now, s-s-so please don't hit me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." the boy started rambling, hands starting to tremble and ears flattening into his hair. Akaashi watched as he raised his hands to his face in a protective stance. What had happened for the boy to react this way towards a simple question?

"Don't worry, we're not about to kick you out." he nudged at Bokuto to say something. Up till now, he had just been sitting there, silent.

"Hey, hey, hey, Hinata! What a coincidence! The name I gave you was the same as your actual name??? Woah! That's crazy!" 

Akaashi sighed again mentally, was that what he had been thinking about this whole time? That was the reason for his silence?

Continuing on, Bokuto said, "Hey, if you don't have anywhere to go, why don't you just stay here with us? We have plenty of room!" Akaashi agreed. HInata looked only around 10 years old, they definitely couldn't let him starve on the streets.

The boy's eyes immediately brightened, "Really? I can stay here? I promise I won't be any trouble!"

Akaashi chuckled and said in response, "Of course. There's no way we would let you-" in the middle of speaking, he was cut off by a loud grumble. A stomach? Hinata blushed as he covered his stomach in embarrassment. 

"We can discuss this over some breakfast if you would like, Hinata." Akaashi suggested. The orange-haired catboy readily agreed. The three headed out to the living room after giving Hinata some of their old clothes to wear, but even the smallest t-shirt dangled to around his knees, so they gave up on trying to give him pants and decided just to find some underwear for him. 

During the course of breakfast, it had been decided that Bokuto and Akaashi would take care of the Shifter. He had no family to return to and no friends either, so they readily accepted him into their family. Hinata had the brightest smile on his face and the both of them felt so much warmth emanating simply from his presence being there. Akaashi might've thought this was a bad idea at first, but after learning about Hinata's background, he felt sympathy for the poor boy and just wanted to take care of him.


	2. Getting Used to the LIfe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata's journey to getting used to this new life.

It had been two weeks since Hinata moved in. The trio were slowly quickly getting used to the new dynamic in their house. When they weren't at home, Hinata usually roamed around in cat form. When one or both of them were at home, he would change back into human form because it was easier to deal with. Of course, there were times where he just wanted to cuddle with them in cat form, so what form he was in pretty much just depended on what his mood was like. 

To Akaashi, it had felt slightly weird at first for someone to be in their home when they weren't there, but being the good adapter he was, he got used to it by around day 3. Bokuto was simply the type of person to not care about things like that, so he never felt it was weird in the first place. In fact, he was stoked to have such a cute child waiting for them at home. It just felt like they had a kid. 

Akaashi had noticed that at first, Hinata seemed kind of jumpy. He never really addressed it, as he was scared he may bring up past trauma or something like that. Shifters were something rare, so some people treated them like commodities to be sold and used as they pleased. He had heard from time to time on the news: Shifters being secretly sold and traded in sketchy places, Shifters being abused and used like slaves, it basically wasn't anything good. He didn't want to ask Hinata about his past until he was comfortable enough to tell them. 

"Hinata! We're back!" Bokuto joyfully called from the entrance way. 

"Koutarou, you really don't have to announce it that loud every time we come home. I'm sure the neighbours are done hearing it by now." Akaashi sighed, but he was excited to be home to see Hinata as well. 

Hinata came running at the sound of Bokuto's voice, quickly shifting from cat form to human form, "Welcome back!" he said cheerfully, making both of them smile. 

"What did you do today?"

"Well...I played in the yard with some insects...but don't worry, I washed my paws before coming in! After that, I ate some food, and then I ran around for a bit, and then I played with the new toy you bought me! It was really fun!" the boy said excitedly, he was happy to tell them all about his day. 

Akaashi smiled fondly and ruffled the boy's hair, "Well, I'm going to start making dinner now, so you can go play with Koutarou for a while."

Bokuto and Hinata had really bonded these two weeks. They played games together, watched TV together, Bokuto even introduced volleyball to Hinata. The boy seemed to take to it immediately, and both of them were surprised when he jumped to high he was basically parallel to the net. The boy was barely tall enough to be called average, but boy could he jump high. Whenever Akaashi saw them, he felt like they were something like father and son, or master and disciple. 

These peaceful days passed by quickly, until one night. 

It had been normal until dinner, Bokuto and Hinata's chattering filled the silence of the house as they talked about all sorts of things on the TV. They volleyball match was on first, and they talked about how the players were spiking the ball all 'bwah' and 'gah'. Later, a cooking show came on. It was funny how their reactions to things were so similar. They both started drooling and Bokuto immediately begged Akaashi to make it the next day. 

Raising an eyebrow, Akaashi sighed, "Koutarou, you do realise it isn't easy to cook something like chocolate croissants and have them taste good on the first try right?"

Waggling his eyebrows back, Bokuto retorted, "But Keiji, I know you can and you will do it..." as if saying that would make it possible. 

Of course, Akaashi had already made a mental list of the ingredients and the baking process the moment the show came on, knowing that the both of them would want to eat it. But Bokuto didn't need to know that, did he?

Shaking his head and heading to the kitchen to check what ingredients they had, Akaashi looked out the window. It seemed like it would rain heavily tonight. 

The both of them woke up in the middle of the night to loud whimpering. 

Confused, they headed out to the living room, where Hinata had insisted on sleeping now that they knew he was a human. It was kind of weird knowing that a third human was sleeping in their bedroom with them, so they agreed. Hinata usually maintained cat form when sleeping, saying that it helped him sleep better. 

Currently, it was 3 AM, and Hinata had reverted back to human form, crying out and writhing on the floor. It looked like he was having an nightmare. He kept stretching out his paws, hitting thin air. Shirt soaked with sweat, his tail hit the floor repeatedly as he flopped around. 

Bokuto and Akaashi were worried, but they had no idea what to do. This had never happened before. Did this have something to do with the way the boy acted the other night? 

Akaashi tried to listen to what the boy was crying out, he could only make out a few words: "I'm sorry...please don't...I'll be good...don't throw me away...if you do I won't..."

Not wanting to hear anymore, Akaashi quickly approached the boy and took him into this arms, acquiring a new scratch on his face in the process. A few droplets of blood started gathering. 

"Hinata! Hinata!! Hinata!!! Wake up! It's okay!" he tried to calm the boy by rubbing circles in to his back and petting his head lightly.

After repeatedly calling out to Hinata for about a minute, the boy's cries finally stopped. Akaashi turned to Bokuto.

"Koutarou, instead of standing there blankly, why don't you go to the kitchen and warm up a cup of milk?"

"Oh! Of course! I'll do that now..." he seemed not used to this kind of situation. Bokuto wasn't exactly the comforting type. 

Seeing Hinata's eyes open blearily, Akaashi moved them both to the couch, holding the smaller boy's head against his chest. 

"Akaashi-san? What...I'm sorry. I just- the rain, it-"

"Shh..." Akaashi comforted the boy, "Take it slowly, we have all the time in the world, it's okay. Tell me slowly."

The boy was sobbing slightly, his frame shook with every breath he took, making Akaashi's heart hurt even more so.

"M-my previous owner...he used to...hit me. I don't know why- I think it was my fault...I was a b-bad boy. Once, he shoved me outside in a rainstorm after cutting me with a knife. I s-s-still remember the cuts, they s-stung...and-" the boy broke down once more, seemingly not able to take anymore recollection, "T-there were times where I w-w-wish I had never been b-b-born." Bokuto came back with a mug filled with warm milk, handing it to the boy, he gently wiped away his tears. 

Akaashi felt his heart breaking more and more with every word the boy said. How could someone do this to another human being? Disgusting. His hold around the boy's waist tightened. 

"Hinata, you're not a bad boy. You're such a sweet child, and we were very, very lucky to find you that night." Akaashi started saying.

"Yeah!" Bokuto chimed in, "If you weren't here, who would watch the TV with me, huh? Who would play volleyball with me when Akaashi gets tired? You are irreplaceable, and never let anyone else tell you so!"

Akaashi smiled, there were times when Bokuto, unknowingly, said the best things. 

Soon, the boy calmed down. Looking up, he started panicking again when he saw the wound on Akaashi's face, eyes quivering as he repeatedly apologized.

"I-I'm so sorry! I can't believe I hurt you! I-"

"It's okay, Hinata...this is nothing. Come on, why don't you sleep with us in the bed tonight?" Akaashi said, cradling the small boy in his arms. 

Nodding his head slightly, Hinata let himself be carried into the bedroom and lay between the both of them. They both put a hand over him, making him feel secure. Due to exhaustion from all the crying, Hinata fell asleep within minutes. 

"Hey...Keiji?"

"Yes?"

"We gotta treat him really well, to make up for everything that's happened to him. He didn't deserve any of that."

"Of course, Koutarou."

The family of three fell asleep with smiles on their faces, the rain outside forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like reading this, please leave a comment or a kudos! Also feel free to tell me anything that needs fixing >_<


	3. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the end, but it's the beginning of a new story as well.

Hinata woke up the the sound of sizzling in the kitchen and the pungent smell of pancakes wafting around the house. 

Remembering what had happened last night, he felt slightly embarrassed to have been seen like that. He thought of how he should act as he approached the kitchen, where the other two were. His tail was swishing with anxiety as he thought of scenarios as to how the other two would react.

"Hinata, you're up? I'm just finishing these pancakes, so you can go help Koutarou with setting up the table." Akaashi called out from behind the stove.

"O-ok!" HInata hastily replied. 

"Hey, hey, hey! Hinata! You feelin' better, little kitten?" Bokuto was energetic as ever, trying to balance two bowls on top of each other. Hinata quickly grabbed the one on top before it would drop, cutlery in this household had to be often replaced because of this. 

"Yes...I am. A-are you guys bothered by what happened last night, because if you are I-"

"Of course not! I can't believe you had to go through something like that. It must've been horrible...but don't worry! We'll take really good care of you!"

Akaashi, coming from the kitchen, gave a sound of agreement.

It felt as if all the anxieties and worries that Hinata had built up in his heart all melted away at these simple words. These people who had shown him warmth and comfort, who had seen him at a low point, still cared for him. The past and the hurt he had gone through felt like it was all being overwritten with the happiness he had obtained now. He felt safe.

Sporting a familiar grin on his face, Bokuto then said, "Well, Hinata, I see a stack of pancakes in the kitchen waiting for us. They're piping hot and just begging to be eaten, aren't they? Why don't we go and bring them here?"

The both of them sped into the kitchen, laughing while racing to get to it first. Akaashi smiled at the sight of it. Although it felt slightly like he was raising two babies at the same time, one giant and one small, as long as all of them were happy, it was fine. 

Throughout breakfast, they joked around and chattered, mood from before completely forgotten. 

That afternoon, they heard the sound of a moving truck coming to the house next door. Akaashi raised his eyebrows, was someone finally moving in next door? It had been vacant for a while. 

The three of them peeked out at the people who were moving their items in next door. It looked like two men, with a...cat?

Shaking his head, Akaashi voiced out a thought, "Wouldn't it be funny if the cat they had also turned out to be a shifter? Although the odds are very low...well it's probably not going to happen anyway."

"Ooh! That would be really cool! Then Hinata could have a friend to play with!" Bokuto joined in excitedly, "Wouldn't that be great, Hinata?"

"Yeah! Hmm...the chance of that is pretty low though."

Akaashi stood up and told the other two to follow him, it was best to get introductions done early. He told Hinata to go back into cat form, as they didn't want to alert the other pair with a shifter.

Walking up to the shorter man, he started, "Hello, my name is Akaashi Keiji, this is Bokuto Koutarou. Back there in the yard is our cat, Hinata."

"Hey. My name is Iwaizumi Hajime and-" a crash was heard inside the house, "That mess over there, is Oikawa Tooru."

"Iwa-chaaaaan...Tobio-kun scratched me again! I can't believe he's doing that to my beautiful face! What if it scars this time..." a voice came from inside the house.

"Oh! Hello there! Are you the neighbours? Sorry about that just now." Holding up a cat with sleek, black fur, eyes dark like blackberries, he continued, "This is Tobio-kun, he's a little violent sometimes, but it's just his personality. I hope we get along!"

"Same here. If you're tired from all the moving, feel free to come over for some pancakes, I made them fresh just now." Akaashi replied.

"Oooh! We might just take you up on the offer- hey! Tobio-kun! Stop squirming around! You better stay put or I'm not gonna play with you tonight!" Oikawa was interrupted mid-sentence by the cat trying to wriggle out of his grasp. Weirdly, it seemed to understand what he was saying, immediately stopping.

Akaashi noticed this. It seemed like it was going to get a lot more lively around here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyy, so this is officially the end of the first story in this series i guess????
> 
> don't worry, the others will be coming realllllll soon ;))))

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this story, please leave a kudos and a comment! I would love your feedback :)


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